Category: Top 5

It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for Top 5 Tuesday! Yay! Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm. Each week, she posts a new topic and gives us all a chance to respond. This week’s topic is Top 5 “unputdownable” reads.

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. When I was in seventh grade, I had finished all my books and my work in English class. Having nothing to read, I must have complained, because a boy in my group handed me this book. I was only able to read the first chapter before the period ended and he had to take it back (it wasn’t his book), but the damage was done. This book was like drugs to me: I couldn’t think for the rest of the day and I was addicted for life. I mean, I’ve always been a Star Wars fan, but this book took it to a whole new level. I don’t think I thought of anything but Star Wars for the next two years, when the trilogy was finally over. I definitely couldn’t put it down.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I was always a kid who liked to be prepared, so when I knew I was going to have to read this book the next year for English class, I decided to get a head start. I had an old, beat up copy of my nana’s (which has since completely fallen apart) and I started reading. I read for most of the hot summer evening, well into the night sitting on the tile floor of the kitchen in front of the back door. I was fascinated by Scout and her brother, by Boo Radley and everything that was happening. I could not put the book down.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Shortly after this book came out, I went to the book store determined to find a book with the following criteria: YA, dystopian, and about a girl. But, I couldn’t get into this at first. Still, it was the book I took with me to Disneyland/DCA when my family and I went to see World of Color. We were taking a break in the shade and I decided to put it out. Four hours later, the lights went down so the show could start and I had to put the book away. I missed all the singing, games, and performing of the preshow just so I could keep reading this book because I was so enthralled.

Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I am honestly embarrassed to include this on my list because I didn’t really think the book was that great, but I could not put it down. I got it for free at ComicCon one year and I started reading it and could tell it wasn’t my taste, but there wasn’t much going on that day. Any time my sister and I sat down, I’d pull it out and start reading. I read the whole thing in bits and pieces throughout the day, the entire time lamenting the fact I couldn’t stop because it was so over the top silly. To this day, all I can remember is the main character feeds her romantic interest penis-shaped pasta and that he, at one points, sucks garlic butter off her breast. I won’t say this book was bad, because a) I know the series is wildly popular and scratches an id and b) it wasn’t badly written. I tried to read others in the series, but could never get into them. But this, for that day, was glued to my hand.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. Yes, it’s taken me years and years to read. But I finally did and couldn’t put it down. When I saw its size, I thought it might take me three or four days to get through. But then, I got home from work yesterday, pulled it out, and read way past my bedtime. I didn’t want to put it down and I was dying to see how it ended. Despite my initial reservations, it was a very fun read and very unputdownable.

What are some books that you’ve had a hard time putting down? Drop a comment below and let me know!

It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for Top 5 Tuesday! Yay! Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm. Each week, she posts a new topic and gives us all a chance to respond. This week’s topic is Top 5 Magical Creatures.

This is honestly so, so hard for me. I’m not really into very many magical creatures. At first, I was going to just list my top five characters who happen to be magical, but it ended up being just a bunch of vampires and Puck. And I don’t think that’s what this topic is about. So, in the spirit of trying, here I go.

Vampires I love vampires. Ever since I saw Buffy the Vampire -the movie, mind you, not the show–I’ve been obsessed. The beauty, the violence, the seduction, the intrigue, I love it all. I prefer vampires that are soulful, but there are some soulless vampires who have a soft spot in my heart. I like them to be humanish and have some sort of code, whether it be moral, immoral, or ammoral. I like them to be witty and clever and very seductive. They just aren’t any fun if they’re not. My top 5 favorite vampires are: Louis, Armand, Lord Akeldama, Spike, and Dracula (but only from Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula Tape)

Fairies. I’ve always enjoyed fairies in things, but I didn’t really fall in love with them until Gargoyles did episodes revolving around Puck, Oberon, and Titania. Puck was always going to be right up my alley, because he’s a trickster, and the whole series of episodes had me running to my Complete Works of William Shakespeare and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I became obsessed with that play. I’ve since enjoyed fairies in other things, like Ella Enchanted and Spindle’s End, but my go-to is always the fairies from Shakespeare.

Werewolves. Okay, here’s the thing: I’m not a huge fan of werewolves as a magical creature. But there are werewolves that I like. Remus Lupin is one of my favorite characters from Harry Potter. I love Professor Lyall and Biffy from the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger. I loved Oz from Buffy (which I know isn’t a book, but…) So, while I’m not really there for pack dynamics, shifting, were-guilt, or whatever, I like individuals well enough to give them third place.

Mermaids. I don’t think I’ve ever actually read a book about meremaids, except maybe Peter Pan, but I’m a swimmer and the idea fascinates me.

Elves. I mean, I guess I like elves. I’ve written elf AU fanfic before. They seem interesting? I’m kind of out of ideas.

Those are my top five magical creatures.

What kind of magical creatures do you like? Drop me a comment below and let me know!

It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for another Top 5 list! Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm. Each week, she posts a new topic and gives us all a chance to respond. This week’s topic is Top 5 Books I Want to Reread.

The Illuminae Files by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kauffman. Lately, I’ve been thinking about this series a lot. Maybe it’s because I like to mention AIDAN any chance I get, and I feel like I’ve been talking about it a lot lately (which, I’m not sure if I have, but I feel like it). Or maybe because I started reading the books around this time last year and am feeling nostalgic. Whatever the reason, I’ve been seriously thinking about doing a reread of these books.

I’ve also been thinking about reread Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice again. It’s been years since I read it, and I’ve been hankering for a reread. I don’t actually own the book anymore, but found it when I was browsing a used bookstore. I was going to buy it, until I realize they were charging the cover price for a used book! I mean, I know $7 isn’t that much, but the spine was cracked a little and the cover was a little worn and it was a used book! Used books should be cheaper, right? The nerve of them. So, I ended up not buying it, but was left with the desire to reread it.

On a similar theme, I want to rereadThe Queen of the Damned. I loved this book when I read it in high school. I thought it was amazing. I loved the backstory of where the vampires came from, I loved the story of Armand and Daniel, I loved the humans and the vampires and what Akasha did to the vampires. It was such a great read. But I think I only read it one or twice. I’d like to give it another read through and see if I like it as much now as I did then.

The Beacon at Alexandria by Gillian Bradshaw. This amazing book is about a woman named Charis who wants to be a doctor in 4th century AD. She disguises herself as a eunuch and runs away to Alexandria to train. It’s a really fascinating story that’s completely enthralling. I happened upon it by chance in the library, thought it sounded interesting, and fell completely in love. The problem is, I can’t find it anymore at the library and it’s not in print. I’m so sad because I desperately want to reread it and have no way to do so.

Last, I want to reread the last 3 books in the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. I’ve read the first two multiple times, bu the last three only once. I remember really liking them a lot, and would like to revisit the story. I vaguely remember a few things I really liked, mostly involving the vampires, but there’s a werewolf love story that starts in either Blameless or Heartless that I really like and would like to read again from the beginning.

So, technically that’s more than five books, because of the two series that I threw in, but I think that’s fine. I hope I’ll get around to rereading at least some of them. There just always seems to be so many new things to read, I don’t get to reread as much as I’d like.

What books do you want to reread? Drop a comment below and let me know!

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Shanah @ The Bionic Book Worm. Each week, she gives a different topic to explore. This week is the top 5 sequels I need to get to. Here are mine!

I read A Study in Charlotte last year and really liked it. The other books in the series I listened to on audio. I didn’t like them quite as much, but I enjoy them enough to want to finish the series. Since I only own the first book, I’m reluctant to buy the last and am sort of waiting for the library to get it in some format.

This is kind of cheating, because I think is just came out today. I thought it came out two weeks ago, but couldn’t find it. I finally looked it up. Goodreads says it comes out today, Amazon says yesterday. But, whenever it is, I want it and plan to read it ASAP.

I only stared reading the Kinsey Milhone novels after Sue Grafton’s death, but I really, really like them a lot. The problem is, my library doesn’t have the older books. Luckily, a used bookstore by my parents does, so my mom’s got this one. We just need to wait until we see each other again for me to get my hands on the next. (Yes, I know I don’t really need to read them in order. I just want to.)

This is the second in the Jane Hawk novels by Dean Koontz. It took me a bit to get into the first one, The Silent Corner, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to reading this.

Anna Lee Huber is one of my favorite mystery authors. I really enjoyed the first Verity Kent novel (so much that I read it in one night), and can’t wait to finally read the sequel.

Wow. I have a lot of reading I need to do. I better get on it!

What are some sequels that you are looking forward to finally getting around to?

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Shanah @ The Bionic Book Worm. Each week, she gives a different topic to explore. This week is the topic is top 5 mind-blowing mysteries/thrillers. These are mine!

First You Fall by Scott Sherman. This book follows the adventures of Kevin Connor. When a good friend of his is found dead and that death ruled as a suicide, Kevin, a hustler, decides to investigate. This book is suspenseful, funny, sad, and compelling all at once. It was also one of the first books I ever read on Kindle, although I guess that doesn’t really matter. But it was a great introduction to a wonderful series.

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry is one of my favorite books period. It’s about a man named Joe Ledger, who is about to enter the FBI when he’s taken in by a mysterious organization for questioning. Once there, he’s attacked and forced to kill a man. Problem is, he’d already killed that man earlier that week in the line of duty. He’s then introduced to the world of the Department of Military Sciences and a weaponized zombie virus. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I read this. It not only has a remarkable protagonist, but the villains were nicely fleshed out. This is another first in a series, and while I love the other books, this one has a special place in my heart.

The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz. This was a recent read for me, and while it took me about halfway to get into, once I was in, I was hooked. The book is about Jane Hawk, who, after her husband commits suicide, starts investigating the steady rise of suicides in the US. This leads to her being contacted by a shadowy organization that threatens her and her young son. She goes on the run, hiding her son away with people that can’t be traced back to her, and starts her own investigation into this conspiracy. The answers you get in this book have horrifying implications. I loved it and can’t wait to read the next.

Bitch Factor by Chris Rogers was one of the first contemporary adult mysteries I remember reading. The main character, Dixie Flannigan, is a bounty hunter who goes after Parker Dann. Dann is accused of killing a child in a dunk driving accident. But he claims he didn’t do it, and Flannigan finds herself drawn into the case, trying to find out what really happened. I remember being super engrossed in this book. I had a hard time putting it down, but it was late and I wasn’t understanding what I was reading anymore, so I went to bed. Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up with the realization of who the murder was, immediately picked up the book and finished it. It was that engrossing.

The Anatomists Wife by Anna Lee Huber maybe isn’t the most exciting of mysteries, but it was powerful. It’s the first in her Lady Darby series and it introduced me to a wonderful world of characters whom I love. Lady Kiera Darby is a widow and an artist living in disgrace with her sister and brother-in-law. Her husband had been an anatomists and forced her to draw pictures of the dissections he did in order to get an accurate anatomy book. However, he did not always procure his bodies through approved means and when that came out on his death, scandal came out and tainted Kiera. In this book, her sister is having a house party and there’s a murder. Sebastian Gage is the son of a noted gentleman investigator and is asked to investigate, as is Kiera, because of her past. It’s amazing and interesting and romantic and just one of my favorite mysteries ever.

Those are my top 5 mysteries/thrillers. Thanks again to Shanah for hosting this meme.

What are some of your favorite mysteries/thrillers? Have you read any of the books I listed? Drop a comment below and let me know!

Top Five Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm. Each week, a different theme is given and you have to come up with a list of five things that fit that theme. This week’s theme is Top 5 Books I Predict Will be 5 Stars.

Rage by Jonathan Maberry. I love Maberry’s writing and was a huge fan of his Joe Ledger series. This book starts a new series about Joe Ledger, who is now running leading a group of “international troubleshooters”–a freelance group no longer connected to the US government. I cannot wait for this book!

2. The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston. This book is probably cheating because I’m already halfway through it, but I’m loving it so much! I want to shake Jess for being so dismissive of fans while at the same time wrap her in a blanket, take away her phone, and give her cookies. I also love Imogen: her passion, her geekiness, and her feelings of inferiority when it comes to her younger sibling. I’ve been there, girl; I’ve been there.

3. Rebel by Marie Lu is one that I’m less certain will be a five star read and more hopeful. I loved, loved, love the Legend series when I read it and it’s stood up on rereads. However, I’ve haven’t been overwhelmed with love for Marie Lu’s other books. I liked Warcross and Wild Card all right, but hated the Young Elites books in a way I rarely do. I hope Rebel is all I’m hoping it will be.

4. Any Old Diamonds by K.J. Charles will probably be a 5 star read. I love her books so much. They’re witty, romantic, and full of great characters. This one is about a diamond heist, and I love a good heist book. I think I’ll thoroughly enjoy this book.

5. A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer. This book is a long shot. It doesn’t even have a cover yet. It only just recently got a summary up on the website. But I loved A Curse So Dark and Lonely so much and Grey was my favorite character, that I can’t imagine this not being a five star read. I cannot wait until next year when it comes out!

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bionic Book Worm. This is technically last week’s topic, but I thought I’d do it anyway because I love romantic reads.

The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles

I love this book! It’s about a lord named Lucien Vaudrey who’s plagued by a curse that’s trying to get him to kill himself. He calls on a magician named Stephen Day to help him. Stephen has every reason to hate Vaudrey’s family, but it’s his job to deal with magical threats. When he uncovers the depth and depravity of the curse on Vaudrey, he’s incensed. While working with each other, they find themselves deeply attracted to one another and eventually let passion get the better of them. I loved this book so much that, when I was done with the series, I went back and reread this one. It’s well written, has a great plot, and the tension between the two men is just delicious.

The Lawrence Brown Affair by Cat Sebastian is about the Earl of Randor, a brilliant scientist who thinks he’s mad. Georgie Turner arrives at his estate, claiming to be his new secretary. The truth is, he’s a con artist on the run. They find each other at their worst and bring out the best in each other. It was very sweet and my favorite of the Turner series books.

Widdershinsby Jordan L. Hawk is the first in the Whyborne and Griffin novels. The books are full of magic and gothic surrealism. There are all kinds of magical creatures and tentacles everywhere. What I love is how through all the weirdness and WHyborne’s growing powers, he and Griffin stick together and support one another. It’s all very romantic.

Red, White, & Royal Blueby Casey McQuiston is my new favorite romantic book. And enemies to lovers book, but where they were never really enemies, just frustrated and unrealized attraction. This is probably one of the most romantic contemporary novels I’ve ever read. I loved it to pieces.

Persuasion by Jane Austen is probably one of my favorite romantic books of all times. I know, I know: Pride and Prejudice. And I love that book, too, but… the letter Captain Wentworth writes Anne just gets me every time. I spend the whole book waiting in breathless anticipation for that letter, and it never disappoints me. I just love it.